Little more than a year ago, The Federalist sounded an alarm for conservatives in red states across America. Noting that wokeness and identity politics was embraced in blue states like California, or red state urban areas, like Austin, TX, the author argues that Leftist ideas had infiltrated small towns in red states across America – unnoticed and unchallenged by local Republicans.
The author references a small town in east Tennessee with examples like a progressive reading list at the library, the town’s left-leaning newspaper, and the role of a radically leftist statewide organization in electing a progressive member to the “ostensibly” nonpartisan city council.
While I haven’t studied the reading lists at the Warren County Public Library, regular listeners to Talk 104.1 are familiar with the format change of The Morning Show. Broadcast on 104.1 FM from 6:00 – 8:30 a.m., the traditionally conservative commentary changed when talk show host Chad Young stepped away from the microphone and was replaced by Brian “Slim” Nash in 2021. The Bowling Green Daily News reports that Nash is a “a self-described liberal who fought as a city commissioner for a fairness ordinance that would have extended discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” While Nash says the show is “not about my opinion,” he acknowledges that it has traditionally been a conservative show. “The station’s management knew I was not a conservative,” Nash said.
A case can also be made for the progressive agenda creeping into local government. In November 2018, Dana Beasley-Brown was first elected to the Bowling Green City Commission and subsequently re-elected in 2020. Carlos Bailey joined Beasley-Brown on the City Commission in 2020. Brown and Bailey were among a slate of progressive candidates endorsed by The New Power PAC, a political action committee formed in 2010 by Kentuckians for the Commonwealth. The New Power PAC, which raised $219,327.39 between 2019-2020, states that it “helps elect candidates that share our values and vision.” In a 2018 candidate endorsement, Meta Mendel-Reyes, chairperson of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, writes that through the New Power PAC, “ordinary Kentuckians and progressive candidates are working together to reclaim a democratic Commonwealth.”
The City Commission is composed of four commissioners and the mayor. It’s not a far stretch to imagine the New Power PAC backing a third progressive candidate in the 2022 elections, and if successful, would give the movement a majority vote in city government.
Born out of an alarming concern about the progressive movement in our community, Warren County Conservatives formed in 2020. Our mission is to represent the conservative voice in Warren County by:
- Endorsing and supporting candidates, elected officials and policy initiatives that promote individual freedom, limited government, and traditional American values.
- Mobilizing citizens to resist political progressivism in our community
- Providing a platform for conservatives to share news and perspectives
For the latest local conservative news, visit Warren County Conservatives on Facebook or Twitter.
Contributed by Tonja Tuttle, Proud Deplorable and Chair, Warren County Conservatives